The entries came from Orr to Holyoke, from Sturgeon Lake to Silver Bay and from across Northwestern Wisconsin. Some hunters had made their own sausage. Other samples were sent in by commercial processors or hunters who had sausage processed commercially.

Now, the judges have spoken. From among the 42 different samples of venison sausage we received, they have chosen their winners.

Randy Strom, a railroad conductor from Duluth, won the amateur category with his delectable Smoked Venison Snack Sticks. In the commercial category, there was a tie between a Jalapeno Cheese Venison Summer Sausage from Jim's Meat Market in Iron River and a Pepper Cheese Venison Snack Stick made by Pelican Bay Foods in Orr.

Winners receive no prize money, merely the satisfaction of knowing their sausage is among the best around.